Curfew in Ile-Ife over ethnic clash

Over 30 houses were razed yesterday as Yoruba and Hausa youths clashed in Ile-Ife, Osun State.

There were allegations of deaths of some of the youths but Daily Trust could not confirm the casualty at press time.

Sources said the trouble started when a northerner had misunderstanding with a Yoruba woman, simply identified as Kubura who is a wife of a member of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

Speaking with Daily Trust, a northerner who is the Secretary to the central mosque in Ile-Ife, Malam Nasiru Mogaji stated that Kubura grew up in Sabo, married a Hausa man and had her first child for the northerner before she later married the Yoruba man

“Kubura sells sachet water in Sabo. A Hausa man sat in front of her shop and she asked the man to leave. The man refused to leave and that led to a quarrel. As a result of the misunderstanding, the Hausa man slapped Kubura and the members of NURTW at the Arewa unit pounced on him and beat the Hausa man and we thought that was the end.

“Unfortunately, the drivers mobilised and started beating the Hausa people at random. The crisis started that way and degenerated.”

Meanwhile, the state government has declared a two-day curfew between 6pm to 7am, and soldiers have been deployed from the Nigerian Army Engineering Construction Regiment (ECR) in Ede.

The acting Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Muhammed Abubakar Koji while speaking through the Police Public Relations Officer, (PPRO) SP Folasade Odoro said necessary steps had been taken and that mobile policemen had been deployed to Ile-Ife.

Aregbesola condemned the clash and warned that the state government would not tolerate breach of public peace in any party of the state. The governor said heavy security forces have been deployed to the scene.

Speaking on the incident, Governor Rauf Aregbesola said through the Director, Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon, that security the crisis would be efficiently addressed.

“This is to assure all and sundry that the breach of the peace in Ile Ife is not beyond the control of our highly mobilized security forces. The Government warns those involved in this act of criminal breach of public peace to end it immediately.”